SSEEM
MIIN
NAAR
RRREEPPO
ORRTT
REPORT
ON
NIGHT VISION SYSTEM
(NVS)
Submitted By: Submitted To:
ANURAG SAINI Prof. UPENDER DHULL
2514560 MECHANICAL DEPT.
ME 7TH SEM
U.I.E.T KUK, KURUKSHETRA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is my proud privilege and duty to acknowledge the kind of help and guidance
received from several people in preparation of this report. It would not have been
possible to prepare this report in this form without their valuable help, cooperation
and guidance.
First and foremost, I wish to record my sincere gratitude to, Mr..Upender Dhull, F/I,
Mechanical Department, University Institute of Engg. And Technology, Kurukshetra
University, Kurukshetra for his constant support and encouragement in preparation of
this report and for making available library and laboratory facilities needed to prepare
this report.
The seminar on Night Vision System was very helpful to me in giving the necessary
background information and inspiration in choosing this topic for the seminar. My
sincere thanks to my friends for having supported the work related to this project.
Last but not the least, I wish to thank our parents for financing our studies in this
college as well as for constantly encouraging me to learn engineering. Their personal
sacrifice in providing this opportunity to learn engineering is gratefully
acknowledged.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION & HISTORY OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM
2. TYPES OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM
3. ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
4. WHY INFRARED?
5. WORKING OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM IN CARS
6. THERMAL IMAGING
7. FIR TECHNOLOGY IN BMW
8. NIR TECHNOLOGY IN MERCEDES BENZ
9. LCD MONITOR USED BY NVDS
10. ADVANTAGES OF NVS
11. DISADVANTAGE OF NVS
12. CONCLUSION
1. INTRODUCTION & HISTORY OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM
Unforeseen accidents are nothing new, but the advent of safety products such as
antilock brakes, seatbelts, air bags, and electronic stability control have helped drivers
feel more secure for years. Now, automotive safety features such as infrared imaging,
laser sensors, light-emitting diodes, and semiconductor technology are surpassing
human abilities, enabling drivers to see in the dark, see around corners, and sense
hidden threats from behind and in blind [Link] quarter of all serious traffic
accidents take place in the evening or at night. And about one third of all traffic
fatalities are the result of accidents during these [Link] vision is the ability to see
in a dark environment. Humans have poor night vision compared to many animals, in
part because the human eye lacks a tapetumlucidum. Night Vision Systems (NVS), a
DRS Technologies Company has been selected as the master distributor for Laser
Devices Inc.
In 2000, General Motors offered a thermal night-vision system in its Cadillac line of
vehicles. The system was innovative, but it was also expensive and didn't produce
very clear images. Toyota also gave night vision a shot, and even now the automaker
continues to offer an in-dash system in some Lexus models. The Lexus system has its
fans, but if it's so effective, then why hasn't this technology spread to every vehicle on
the road? One theory is that it seems as if the technology just isn't fully ready for
automotive applications. Not yet, anyway. As you can imagine, night-vision
technology is expensive and if you use inexpensive components, the quality simply
won't be there. Two of Germany's automotive stalwarts, BMW and Mercedes-Benz,
have taken a damn-the-torpedoes approach to in-dash night-vision systems. These two
auto manufacturers have been offering night-vision systems in vehicles since 2006.
Fittingly, the two automakers, which have been competing against each other in the
luxury market for the better part of 50 years, offer systems on complete opposite ends
of the proverbial spectrum. Each system accomplishes its goal and each has its
benefits and costs.
2. TYPES OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM
There are two types of night vision system:
Active System
Passive System
We mostly use Active System in Automobiles.
1. ACTIVE SYSTEMS: It uses an Infrared light (Invisible to Humans) source built
into the car to illuminate the road ahead. This type enables long ranges (250m) and
high performance in rain and snow.
2. PASSIVE SYSTEMS: Passive system do not use an infrared light source, instead
they capture thermal radiations already emitted by the objects, using a thermo-
graphic camera.
Active system is again classified into:
Near Infrared (NIR): This system uses near infrared light waves for detection
of objects. NIR technology requires IR flood lamps to project invisible light
onto the surrounding area. The camera captures the reflected NIR light from
the surrounding area and intensifies it to create am enhanced (brightened)
image. Range of less than 183 meters.
Far Infrared (FIR): Far infrared light waves are used. This type of technology
may also be referred to as thermal imaging. Because FIR light waves are
created from emitted heat rather than reflections of light. It has a range of
around 299 meters.
3. ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
Before going into the night vision systems it is necessary to understand something
about the electromagnetic spectrum. Humans are visible only to the rays felling under
the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum and are invisible to both the infra-red
as well as the ultra violet region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
But night vision technology makes it possible for the humans to view the rays felling
in the infra-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum, that is generally the night
vision systems used in automobiles captures the infra-red image of distant obstacles
on road as every object emits infra-red rays (heat rays) even during night. This image
is viewed in a screen and the driver can thus apply the brakes as required.
4. WHY INFRARED?
Active infrared night vision combines infrared illumination of spectral range 0.7
1 m (just below the visible spectrum of the human eye) with CCD cameras sensitive
to this light. The resulting scene, which is apparently dark to a human observer,
appears as a monochrome image on a normal display device.
Because active infrared night vision systems can incorporate illuminators that produce
high levels of infrared light, the resulting images are typically higher resolution than
other night vision technologies. Active infrared night vision is now commonly found
in commercial, residential and government security applications, where it enables
effective night time imaging under low light conditions. However, since active
infrared light can be detected by night vision goggles, it is generally not used in
tactical military operations.
Infrared cameras see more than the naked eye and can make road traffic safer.
Cameras for the long-wave infrared range, however, have the disadvantage that the
sensor requires constant cooling, which adds to the cost and complexity of the device.
Now a new type of detector has been developed which functions at room temperature.
5. WORKING OF NIGHT VISION SYSTEM IN CARS
Automotive night vision comes into two flavors: near and far infrared (IR). The near
infrared technology detects the portion of the IR band nearest to visible light. But, the
near IR detector needs an assist. Special bulbs mounted next to the headlights are
aimed straight ahead like a car's high beams, but they don't blind other drivers because
the human eye is insensitive to the infrared light. The NIR system is illuminates the
surroundings with infrared light in the wavelength of 800 to 900 nm. The infrared
reflection of objects is captured and converted to a digital signal by a Charge Coupled
Device (CCD). The digital signal from the CCD is routed to the image processor that
translates it into a format that can be viewed into a black and white head-up display
beamed onto the wind-shield.
The far infrared technology detects energy farther up the infrared band that is emitted
by objects as heat. This far IR night vision is also called passive, because no special
light source is required. The special camera these systems use - essentially a phased
array of IR detector elements analogous to the pixels in an ordinary digital camera -
creates a temperature pattern called a thermo gram, which is refreshed 30 times a
second. The heat from a pedestrian or an animal is much greater than the heat coming
to the camera from its surroundings. A signal processor translates the thermo gram
data to an image suitable for display on a monitor. It has been found out that neither
of the technologies has a clear advantage.
But, not everyone thinks night vision in cars makes sense. The biggest problem with
night vision is that these systems demand that the driver take his/her focus from the
road, which is not a good idea, and drivers will just increase their speed, believing
themselves to be less at risk, so to avoid this problem the driver is given an automatic
warning of the approaching object and thus he doesn't have to look every time on the
monitor to check for vehicles and he can completely concentrate on the road while
driving. Effective algorithms are required in order to send a warning to the driver fast
enough if a pedestrian is detected.
6. THERMAL IMAGING
Thermal imaging is a heat-sensing technology that can see in complete darkness. All
objects emit infrared energy, but it cannot be seen by the human eye without the use
of technology. Infrared is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths
that are longer than visible light. The warmer an object, the more energy it emits.
Infrared energy emitted by a viewed scene is focused through the specialized
objective lens assembly of an infrared camera on to the cameras focal plane array
(FPA). The FPA uses materials that respond by generating electrical impulses when
infrared energy strikes it. These electrical impulses are then sent in the form of
temperature values to an image signal processor that turns them into video data for
presentation on a display. Thermal imaging is ideal for nighttime applications and can
immediately detect suspicious activity or targets in complete darkness with no
illumination required. Thermal technology can see through dust and smoke and can
greatly enhance visibility through fog and rain. Typical applications for thermal
include covert tactical operations, surveillance, and reconnaissance, search and rescue
and perimeter security to name a few.
7. FIR TECHNOLOGY IN BMW
BMW's passive system uses far-IR or FIR technology in its onboard night-vision
systems. Unlike night-vision optics used for military applications, BMW's system
registers images based on body heat and produces images that resemble a photo
negative. While that works well for deciphering between animals and people, it
doesn't do much for revealing a dead animal in the middle of the road or perhaps a
large rock or a fallen tree. BMW's infrared system uses complementary metal oxide
semiconductor (CMOS)-based sensors on the front of the car that pick up heat from
objects and processes the thermal signature to display images on a quarter video
graphics array (QVGA) display (320x240-pixel resolution) mounted on the dash in
the center of the vehicle's console. In a nutshell, the BMW's system picks up the heat
of the animal or pedestrian and displays it as a bright image. The warmer the target,
the brighter the image displays. It has a range of around 980 feet (299 meters) and can
pan in the direction the vehicle is heading. The FIR night vision system illuminates
what's directly in front of the vehicle reasonably well, but doesn't offer the clarity
found in the Mercedes system.
8. NIR TECHNOLOGY IN MERCEDES BENZ
Mercedes-Benz uses an active system or near-IR system that illuminates the night
with projected infrared light, much like optics found in military-issue night-vision
goggles. The Mercedes system uses NIR technology and produces an even, clear
picture in the dark. The NIR system in the Mercedes illuminates everything as if it
were in the high beams of the vehicle. By utilizing a series of projection bulbs and
cameras, the Mercedes' active night-vision system picks up the faintest traces of light
and transforms it into a clear picture. The advantage is that the Mercedes system can
see warmer living things just as clear as it can spot colder, dead animals or non-living
objects.
The drawback to the Mercedes system is its range: The system has a maximum
effective range of less than 600 feet (183 meters). Another drawback is the Mercedes'
NIR system doesn't handle fog well, while the BMW's FIR system can see through the
dense conditions. Mercedes monitor is located behind the steering wheel, directly in
the driver's line of sight to the road, and the image quality is also crisper on the NIR
system.
9. LCD MONITOR USED BY NVDS
The night vision image does not have color information, and hence monochromatic
displays are sufficient. A green phosphor (P22) LCD display is generally used as the
human eye is most sensitive to the color green in this wave length, which falls in the
middle of the visible light spectrum. Viewing images in green background also
doesn't create much strain to the human eye.
The latest generation of NVD uses a green yellow Phosphor (P43) LCD displays, and
gives the operator a much more comfortable viewing experience. Current
developments have also created a gray scale or black & white Phosphor, where the
images can be viewed in black and white.
10. ADVANTAGES OF NVS
Accidents are controlled.
Doesnt affect the existing driving style.
Night vision system can be switched on and off.
The range of vision is more than enough for the fast driving (300 meters or
1000 feet).
Works in almost every weather conditions.
Highlighting of illuminated, heat-emitting objects as pedestrian, cyclists,
animals, etc helps safe driving.
11. DISADVANTAGE OF NVS
Cost of implementing this systems high.
NIR system doesnt handle fog well, cannot see through the dense condition.
While that works well for deciphering between animals and people, it doesnt
do much for revealing a dead animal in the middle of the road or perhaps a
large rock or a fallen tree.
Works poorly in warmer weather conditions.
Large sensors are required.
12. CONCLUSION
Auto accidents still rank as the leading cause of death for all people between the ages
of 2through 34, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
2006 Traffic Safety Facts report. So the automakers turned their view towards safety,
which lead to information of technologies like night vision system. About 42% of
fatal accidents can happen at night, according to the European commission for the
automobile industry. This figure is extremely worrying bearing in mind that there is
about 60% less traffic during the night. Thus the innovation and implementation of
night vision system has a great impact on automotive session such as saving many
lives from death reducing accident at night and has given comfort to the drivers.
REFERENCE
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